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NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 68 



On my first brief visit to Amchitka in the late fall of 1947, 

 Dr. V. B. Scheffer and I found dead otters on the beaches. Elmer 

 Hansen, who was stationed there, found and sent us additional 

 specimens. These were mailed wrapped, without preservative, 

 inside weather balloons and, as the assistant who cleaned the 

 bones, I had a strong and unforgettable introduction to the 

 sea otter. 



In the 1949-53 period, R. D. Jones, Aleutian National Wildlife 

 Refuge Manager, observed winter "die-offs'' at Amchitka. In 

 1950-51 he led an expedition there to capture and transplant 

 otters to other areas. All captive otters soon died, and it became 

 evident to him that the sea otter adapted poorly to captivity under 

 field conditions. This experience demonstrated that until further 

 knowledge of the animals' biological needs was gained, transplant- 

 ing attempts would be futile. 



As a first step toward a better understanding of sea otter 

 biology, Dr. Robert L. Rausch went to Amchitka to study stranded 

 animals, dead or dying, and Drs. C. M. Kirkpatrick and D. E. 

 Stullken, with the aid of R. D. Jones, F. Wilke, C. J. Lensink, and 

 D. Hooper went there in the winter of 1954 to study sea otter 

 physiology and the responses of otters to captive conditions. Much 

 useful knowledge was gained through these studies, but failure of 

 a further effort to transplant otters from Amchitka to the Pribilof 

 Islands in March and April of 1955 showed that still more knowl- 

 edge was necessary. 



It was now clear that the species was no longer endangered. 

 Anticipating a public request that the resource be utilized, the 

 second or long-term study phase of management was begun by 

 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1954 and 1955. An annotated 

 account of field studies is in appendix 1. Early in this period it 

 became apparent that several island populations were at or near 

 maximum size and that experimental harvests could be made. 



When Alaska became a State in 1959, the statehood act provided 

 that jurisdiction over the exploitation of game and fur-bearing 

 mammals, including the sea otter, should pass to the State.^ Soon 

 State oflficials decided to harvest sea otter pelts. The third phase 

 of management began at Amchitka in the winter of 1962 when 

 an experimental harvest was taken by Alaska Department of 

 Game and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists. Subsequent 

 harvests were taken by State biologists at Amchitka in 1963 and 



1 Federal regulations govern the exploitation of these animals on National Wildlife Refuge 

 lands but not in State waters adjacent to them. Thus, the sea otter is under Federal jurisdiction 

 when it comes on shore on a National Wildlife Refuge and when it goes to sea beyond terri- 

 torial boundaries. 



